The Things We'd Lost
by Lots of Sun
Summary: With mixed feelings and an accidental kiss, Neji and Tenten try to reclaim the closeness they once shared, all while discovering who they are to each other. A Mini Nejiten Series.
1. A little lost

**So, I wanted to do a short story or fic about Neji and Tenten, and someone recommended I do an Arc about their daily lives after the war ( if Neji had survived ). And I thought that was cute, but what's going to happen instead is a small mini series I'm going to do about them! So instead of one fic, I'm going to update once or twice a week with small chapters for the story.**

" Just pick something already.."

Tenten's quiet voice repeated out loud to herself as she paced around the Konohagakure Fresh Food Market. She'd been there for at least three hours and had yet to pick anything out. Every booth and seller were beginning to merge into one, giant entity. An entity that was getting fed up with her inability to decide.

She'd been stalling all morning, and with noon fast approaching, she knew she needed to make up her mind. She paused infront of a sweet bean bun stand, and had decided to pick up a few, making sure to get some extra put in a separate bag.

She just hoped that her offering would be enough.

Her mission list lately was bordering on dull, and with the last war almost a full year behind her, she was expecting things to pick up a bit more. Less missions about saving emperors and stopping rogue nin, and more about people needing help killing wild animals attacking their live stock, or searching for lost kids.

She was beginning to feel like her glory days were behind her.

Hesitantly she reached into one of the bags and began to eat one of the buns, still wandering through the maze of clothing shops and fried meats, until she finally exited the district and headed towards her home.

The bag of Sweet Buns that she got for herself were nearly gone by the time she got home, and she decided to throw the bag away before going inside. She didn't feel like being interrogated as to why she just stress ate six buns in ten minutes. The extra bag she had gotten was still safe and untouched.

Her mother had passed away a year before the war had started, and her father was the primary head of household and provider. Aside from them living in the house, she also had a younger brother.

" A little early, isn't it? "

Tenten's father was drying some dishes when he turned to catch her wandering eyes. Hesitantly she looked back at him and smiled.

" Today's been a long day.. "

Tenten set down her extra bag of sweet bean buns on the kitchen table and lazily threw herself down into a chair. She didn't have the ambition to deal with what ever schemes her father had planned out for her for the day.

Her mission list was clear for this week, so her father had been having her help train her brother and do various chores around the house. Things she wouldn't have minded doing normally, but for some reason had begun to really annoy her.

" Gai stopped by with Lee, he wanted to get the four of you together for an announcement, it seemed really important. "

Tenten's father winked at his daughter before flashing her a brief smile. The best Tenten could do in reply was a sigh. She didn't have the energy to handle Gai's theatrics right now.

Worse yet, what kind of announcement could it of been, and was Neji going to be there.

* * *

She'd catch herself in public, day dreaming and using a free hand to touch her face or lips. It was all she could think about lately, and the fantasy was beginning to consume her.

Her father had sent her out for a few items for the house and for dinner, but she had gotten lost in her own thoughts and aimlessly wandered off towards the edge of town.

Softly, a free hand wandered up to her chin and lightly rubbed below her lips, and as she did so her mind began to wander.

It had been very brief, their kiss, but Tenten couldn't help but replay it over and over in her head. She could swear she felt the warmth of his body against her as she remembered the brief moment.

It was almost three weeks ago that Neji had kissed her.

Neither of them were sure how it had happened, after all, spending nights with one another after a mission was so normal, and so routine. How could it ever be anything else?

Tenten remembered how she was very fatigued and had trouble getting up and moving around after the mission, and Neji had decided that their three man team would rest for the night.

Lee was asleep before they had even finished making camp, and that left Neji and Tenten to finish the fire and sit down underneath the stars.

Their conversations were always sincere and personal, Neji would ask about her father or brother, even occasionally he'd ask about her mother. Tenten would always want any new gossip that was going on in the Hyuga district. It never felt rushed when she was with him, nothing was pushed or uncomfortable. That was something she always loved about her time with him.

He made her feel like she was home. Like, he was her home, in some way.

It had been brought up a few times in the past. Just passing gossip about how cute they would be together, or how well they looked next to eachother. Occasionally she was even invited over for dinner to where Neji lived, and got to eat with Hiashi and Hinata. Then she would have shook her head and said they were just friends, but looking back at it as a young adult, she realized they'd always been so much more than that.

That was why, when it happened, she wasn't sure how to react. Neji noticed how much difficulty she was having getting up and went to help her up. Tenten didn't refuse, and when they both got to their feet it happened.

She remembered how brilliantly cool the air was, and how wonderful their fire smelled. She remembered how beautiful the stars looked from so far out in the country and how warm Neji's touch felt against her chilled skin.

She could still feel the warmth of his body as he pulled her up and she fell against him. She knew he had to of felt how fast her heart was beating and how much she wanted him to kiss her. Even after he did, and she freaked out, even now she could still remember how his lips felt against hers. She knew her over reacting was a mistake.

He was the one she wanted.

She'd scared him, not necessarily in a fearful way, but in a way that she knew their trust would never be the same. She'd ruined a closeness that they shared, and she'd never get it back.

By the time Tenten realized where she was, she could have screamed. She'd day dreamed her way to the far east end of the Village, straight to the entrance of the Konoha/Hyuga shared gate.

Her mind had brought her to see him.

"Tenten? "

Tenten's body froze in fear as she recognized the voice that boomed behind her.


	2. The things we remember

Tenten's body froze still as her name was repeated once more.

" HEY! TENTEN! "

This time her shoulder relaxed a little as she tried to look behind her. The footsteps of the person calling her name approached her quickly, and she didn't have time to

contemplate running away.

" TENTEN! "

Lee's voice screamed from behind her as both Gai and Lee grabbed her arms, and began to drag her back towards Konoha.

Tenten's daze lifted within moments of being manhandled by both Gai and Lee, and with a sudden snap, she was free of their grip. Both men were surprised, but Tenten didn't feel like dealing with any of their games today.

" Please, I don't have time today.." Tenten spoke bluntly, fanning her face with a free hand. The summer was almost half over, and by afternoon the heat was nearly unbearable.

Gai and Lee's bright faces caused her to instantly sigh and shake her head. They were always so energetic and at times, very annoying, but right now they needed her so she'd burry her own problems.

" What is it? "

With a weak smile and head tilt, both boys were back on her and dragging her further into the village. Gai was especially set on getting her to their destination, while Lee was just caught up in the excitement.

Tenten eased their pace, but was still tired by the time they stopped. She could never figure out where they got their energy, but neither her nor Neji could ever seem to keep up.

Konohagakure was busy and bustling as everyone was rushing around to shop and eat, Tenten was beginning to feel like she was an outsider. The simple things like grabbing a drink with friends or buying new cloths seemed mundane.

" Here we are! " Lee yelled, jumping infront of Tenten and waving a excited hand infront of her glazed over expression.

She immediately was brought to attention and realized she was outside of Tsunade's office. She questioned Gai, but in response he grabbed one of her free hands and dragged her up the stairs to the Hokage's office.

Tsunade was drowning in paperwork, and welcomed them as they came into her office.

" What a nice surprise! Come in, come in! "

She quickly got up and walked around her desk. Shizune heard the commotion and came around the corner to see Tsunade not working. Tenten was shocked to see her not scold the Hokage. She didn't question why Tsunade wasn't working, instead she stood quietly in the back of the room.

She was beginning to get paranoid, but became worried when Kakashi also entered the room without notice. Everyone got very quiet for a moment, and focused their attention on Tenten.

The amount of anxiety rising through her was immeasurable. She wanted to run away, but knew Lee or Gai would happily drag her back.

" Congratulations! "

Tsunade and Lee both blurted out together, so enthusiastically that Tenten jumped backwards and flinched. Kakashi was behind her and placed a reassuring hand on her shoulder. Tenten's body relaxed as everyone began to get excited and chatty.

She was so overwhelmed and confused.

" About two weeks ago Gai approached me as your Team Leader and suggested to nominate you for a Jonin position. "

Tenten was still quiet, but her abrasive and guarded posture softened and she looked at Tsunade with confusion.

What?

" You performed exceptionally well during the fight with Madara, and even after with all of your missions.. It's very clear that your level is beyond Chunin. " Tsunade's voice was reassuring and Tenten was still processing what was happening.

Gai placed a hand on her other free shoulder and beamed proudly down on her. Tenten looked up to him with a grateful smile.

She was so thankful and overjoyed she didn't know what to say.

" I'm sad that our Team is no longer unified, but so grateful to of had you as my student! " Gai spoke wiping his face as he began to cry.

The moment Gai began to cry, so did Lee and Tsunade had to interrupt them before they flooded the room.

" Time to celebrate! BBq and drinks! "

Tsunade announced to the room, but Shizune was fast to act on the scheming Hokage. Tsunade promised a rain check with the drinks and congratulated Tenten again, briefly before Tenten left the Hokage's office, Gai pulled Lee and Tenten aside to speak to them privately.

" There was also another reason why I wanted to get both of you together, Neji has been summoned by the northern emperor.. "

Neji's name made Tenten's moment of bliss brief, she had almost forgot about the hard knot in her stomach.

" He's been offered a very prestigious position, the Emperor wants him as his head body guard and as head of security for the entire Northern Border.. If he accepts the position, he'll be the youngest in history to take that title. " Gai spoke proudly as he placed a hand on Tenten's shoulder and Lee's. "All of you are growing up, and soon you'll have your own Teams to train.. "

Gai trailed off again, shifting his eyes from them and out to the village.

" I just want you to know how proud I am of all of you.. "

* * *

Tenten had to sit through another cry fest that led both Lee and Gai to be escorted away from the building and told to " get it together " by four other Jonin.

Tenten broke away during the commotion and let her self be alone.

She hadn't really spoken to him since their mishap, and now he was taking a job so far away? Did she push him that far away that he'd give up his life in the village to start over some where else?

She felt sick again, and instead of letting her dreams guide her path, she retreated home to get some rest and possibly sleep.

The moment she walked through the door she was welcomed home with a large banner and lots of decorations. Her father had gone through a lot of fuss, and she was a little annoyed that he just couldn't of just made a big dinner or congratulated her.

" MY DAUGHTER, a Jonin! "

His enthusiasm began to bring up her mood, and within a few minutes at looking at all the trouble he'd gone through, she started to enjoy herself.

He'd cooked some of her favorite dishes, and some select sweets. Her brother had also helped, and was reluctant to congratulate his big sister.

" It's about time, you've been a ninja for how long? "

Ki'yu was almost five years younger than her and had already graduated from the academy some time ago. He had it in his head that he was going to be able to enter the Chunin exams that were happening later this year.

Tenten's father stood a few inches taller than her and had a slim build. His hair was shoulder length and a deep chestnut brown. His hair was always tied back in a low ponytail, and he only shaved his face when he felt necessary.

Her bother had the same brown eyes as her, but his hair was much lighter, almost blonde. While she took more after her father, her younger brother was much more like her mother.

Ki'yu's outgoing personality and sharp tongue were faced off against his sisters quiet demeanor and strong determination. Also like her father, Tenten had little to no natural born ninjutsu talent. Her brother on the other hand had been born with incredible skill and had even shown ability using his Fire nature in combat. Tenten could barely make a clone of herself, none the less perform any kind of genjutsu.

Even if she was the older sister, he loved to rub it in her face that he could perform this jutsu or that jutsu. His school teachers loved him, and so did his classmates.

" Wow, a Jonin! " Her father repeated again, and Tenten couldn't fight off the smile that was slowly taking over her face. Seeing him this excited and happy made her just as excited. Although it hadn't quite sunk in yet, she was excited to do this next chapter in her life.

* * *

The thought of Neji leaving still haunted her, and she couldn't help but causally ask around if he was back.

" Shouldn't you know? I mean, you are his teammate.."

Tenten nervously brought her hands together and began to fidget her shoulders.

They weren't wrong.

Shikamaru and Ino both were eating Ramen and recovering from a mission. She mentally screamed at herself in her head, she **should** know what was going on in his life.

" You're so RUDE! " Ino slapped Shikamaru with the back of her hand and he immediately shot her a nasty look.

" He's grumpy because the Hokage has had him on back to back missions for the past few weeks.. "

Shikamaru sighed, but kept eating. Ino however, was more interested in why Tenten was looking for Neji. But when questioned, Tenten quickly shot herself down and shook the question off like it wasn't a big deal.

" Well I heard he accepted that position up North.." Ino spoke looking over to Tenten, who still hadn't sat down and was standing next to the two of them.

Her disconcerted face made Ino prompt a new question.

" Didn't you know? "

Her face began to deeply flush and Tenten quickly turned away and cleared her throat.

" I knew, but I was hoping he'd stopped back to say goodbye to everyone. "

She lied to Ino and Shikamaru, still processing the new information as more food was delivered to them.

Tenten said she wasn't hungry enough to join them and left quickly. It hadn't even been a full week yet and he'd already decided? That fast, he could leave the village and his team behind. Without a single letter or message, he could take a new job in a foreign land and not even tell her?

She knew things would be different between them, but not like this.

Neji had grown from being an angry adolescent to an upstanding young man, and as much as she hadn't realized it before, she wanted to see how much more he could grow.

' _You're being selfish_.. '

Her mind repeated over to her, again and again anytime the thought of wanting him to stay crossed her mind. He didn't deserve that, he'd been offered a great opportunity, and what was she going to do? Go and find him out of the blue and plead for him to stay in Konoha?

Her body and mind were restless, and she hadn't been given a mission in over a week. Practice and training only went so far, she could exhaust herself beyond her limits and still at the end of the day, **he** was the one she wanted to come home to.

* * *

" So what do you think? "

Tenten held a large Kunai in her hands and worked against the weapons blade with a rough stone. She examined the Kunai once more and handed it back over to the young man infront of her.

Tenten had developed a reputation around the village as being a weapons expert. She was becoming the go-to girl for anyone who needed help fixing or getting a weapon.

Todays contestant was someone she hadn't met up until an hour ago.

" With these Kunai, you need to keep up with sharpening them. They're not as disposable as the smaller throwing ones. They need more attention. "

The man who had brought some weapons to her for sharpening seemed amazed at how fast she sharpened them and how well she handled them. To her this was a small, novice task.

" How much do I owe you? "

Tenten carefully tucked away each weapon into a safety sleeve and shook her head to contest him.

" Nothing at all. "

The man protested, but he had done her a favor and gotten her mind off of things. So really he'd paid her in full.

Her jutsu was evolving and she was experimenting with different sized scrolls. So far she had been able to easily seal weapons and more recently she was able to seal elements. Her next step was trying to seal weather. After the war her chakra control had grown quite a bit, and she was confident that she would be able to add more seals to her scrolls.

She walked her customer out and thanked him, again he tried to pay her but she insisted it was fine.

" Tenten? "

Tenten's body paused before she could go inside her home, only to see Sakura standing a few feet from her door.

" Sakura, hey! " Tenten's voice was low and she briefly smiled at her comrade before preparing to go back inside.

" Hey-Hey! " Sakura grabbed Tenten's arm and pulled her from her doorway, but Tenten planted a heavy foot in the ground and prevented herself from moving.

" I, um.. "

Sakura's face looked pained and Tenten was more hesitant to run inside. Both girls looked at one another and seemed distant.

" I need to get some sle- "

" I know what you're going through.. "

Sakura interrupted Tenten's sentence, and both girl's faces began to flush. Tenten didn't try to defend herself, or change the subject. For a brief moment she felt the tightness in her chest ease; someone knew what she was going through.

Sakura's hand left Tenten's arm, and both girls stood in silence for a while.

The sun had set a while ago, and the street lights were just starting to come on when they started to speak again.

" It gets better.. "

Sakura's voice was dry and limp. Tenten could tell she was lying, but appreciated the support.

" I'm fine. "

Tenten lied right back to Sakura, and the two of them fidgeted for a few moments in silence.

Without notice, Sakura reached out her hand and briefly touched Tenten's shoulder, smiling brightly.

" Really, it does.. "

Tenten's face began to flush further and she broke eye contact with Sakura and weakly nodded. As Sakura's hand left her shoulder, and she walked into the night, Tenten could feel the tightness in her chest return.

She wouldn't be able to sleep tonight.

* * *

The dreams she had were always about him, and she was beginning to feel like she was being obsessive over someone who would now, probably never give her a second chance.

Still, the dreams she did have were, exhilarating.

She'd often have the one about when they traveled to The Land of Snow, or of their last mission together.

She had been exhausted from their last mission. Tsunade had put them on three different consecutive missions, one right after the other. This one had finally done her in.

" We could really use a medical nin for these types of missions.."

Tenten's voice was low and horse, her muscles ached and soon she would barely be able to move.

Neji had started a small fire and Lee was already asleep. With an equally tired flop, Neji sat down next to Tenten.

Tenten's tense, overheated body, seemed to melt comfortably against the cool, soft grass. She spread out her arms and legs before taking in a deep breath of cool, mountain air.

Neji neglected to stay still and was more interested in the shape her body was in. He stared over at her and Tenten was quick to throw a handful of grass at his face.

" What was that for! "

" Stop being a creep.."

Tenten spoke so casually that Neji began to think she was serious and got offended. Tenten stayed silent as he tried to explain that he was just worried about how her body was.

Tenten looked at him again from her laid down position, wildly smiling as Neji began to fumble over his words again.

" You-You.. Know what I meant.. "

Neji seemed to become discouraged and Tenten quickly sat up. She wanted to release him, but she couldn't help but smile at him.

The pure night sky against the mountains was always breath taking, and sharing it with someone else, made it more memorable. She was lucky to of shared so many nights with him.

Tenten leaned back on her arms and almost fell over. Neji was quick to grab her, but she pushed him away.

" It's okay, really.. "

Tenten held her sore arm against her chest and rubbed it with her free arm. She had used too much chakra, and carrying her heavy weapons took a heavy toll on her.

" Just let me look at it.. "

Neji's grip was tighter this time, and within seconds of grabbing her arm, he activated his Byakugan.

" No tears.. But.."

Tenten's annoyed expression quickly shifted to concern as Neji began to smile, and his eyes dropped back to normal.

" Well! "

Tenten glared at him but Neji kept his silence. The more time that passed the more Tenten grew restless.

" Neji! " Tenten's voice became loud and strained.

Neji was quick to quiet Tenten, shushing her and looking over across the fire at Lee, who was still sleeping soundly.

Tenten quieted down and began to sulk. She was overtired and restless.

She hadn't noticed his hand was still on her arm through all of the commotion, so when she did, she got strangely quiet.

At first she thought it was an accident.

He had always cared for her, she knew that. The level that he cared however, was still a mystery. She was sure he had just forgot that he'd left his palm and fingers gently relax around her bare arm, but a few moments later, his grip tightened.

She knew it couldn't be an accident.

They both looked out past the horizon. The dark sky was lit up by scattered, beaming stars and the occasional falling one. Tonight, the moon wasn't out, so the stars appeared much brighter than normal.

Tenten and her team had gotten a very early start, and with a small head tilt and yawn, Neji mentioned that they should also get to sleep.

Neji's fingers shifted along her arm as he began to get up and Tenten could feel her face begin to blush and become hot. She was extremely thankful of how dark out it was.

Hopefully he wouldn't notice.

She wasn't scared, or all that nervous. She surprised herself with how calm she was. The knot that had formed in her stomach wasn't from fear, it was from excitement.

Any one on one time she got with Neji made her feel at ease, she hadn't really noticed how he made her feel until a short while ago.

Neji gradually helped Tenten up and to her feet. The young kunoichi was still sore, but she knew she could make it to the fire.

As Tenten pulled her back straight she felt a sharp, electric pain shoot down the left side of her body, causing her to stumble.

Neji was quick, and thankfully, much more graceful than she was. He caught her before she hit the ground and gradually helped her up again.

" Maybe we should wake Lee up and head home early.."

Tenten furiously protested Neji's suggestion, and pushed off of and away from Neji. She was insistent on getting to the fire by herself. She didn't want to ruin every one's night because her muscles were weak and spasming.

Very predictably she nearly fell again, and got frustrated with herself, and again Neji was there to help her.

She felt weak and miserable as Neji tried to hold her up again. This time she let her body lean forwards and rest against him.

She knew she needed to push herself off of him and try again, but she couldn't. Maybe her body would let her, maybe it wouldn't.

But as she stood facing him, and let her body lean into his, she couldn't let herself move. This was where she wanted to be.

Neji didn't protest or speak, he only wrapped his arms around her and rested his chin down on her shoulder.

The two stayed uncomfortably standing against one another for a while, until Tenten's legs began to weaken again and she pushed away from him.

She hadn't noticed the blush further on her face and grow into her chest. She was too comfortable to be bothered by any embarrassment.

Tenten pulled away and briefly stared at the shadows that were dancing along them and the trees around them. The night was so cool and calm, it was though he had planned this all along.

Her eyes shifted up to his face and Neji looked down at her.

 _Kissing him was so easy_.' Tenten's mind would remind her later.

Like it was so natural for them to be with one another, almost like they always were.

" Neji.."

Tenten's voice was low and quiet, she shifted her gaze from Neji, and could feel the lump in her stomach reach her throat.

She could feel him growing closer and closer to her, his face inching towards hers. She didn't pull away or push, she stayed still and let him come to her.

Tenten's body seemed to be on fire, as her entire body was beginning to reach a whole new temperature. She felt one of Neji's hands slip up her arm, his fingertips lightly touching the bare skin along her arm and neck until he reached her face.

She tilted up her head as his hand touched her, instinctively waiting for him to finally pull down. She almost couldn't take it.

Tenten could feel how heavy Neji was breathing, only because her own chest was also about to explode. She wasn't sure if he could possibly take the anticipation much longer.

Neji's hand was along her jaw and ear, and Tenten could feel his breath touch the tip of her nose and chin. His lips were just a few inches from hers.

Tenten leaned up and forwards and closed the gap that was between them. Ending her anticipation and allowing for him to lean down and deeply kiss her.

He briefly pulled away from her, as if hesitating the decision he had made, but Tenten was quick to pull up her hands and yank down on his shirt, she kissed him before he had a chance to think.

The few moments of hesitation passed quickly as Tenten's hands rose up and brushed Neji's exposed neck and collar. In an affectionate exchange, Neji's hands had found Tenten's bare abdomen and were carefully touching and grabbing at her bare midriff.

She wasn't entirely aware of how much tension had been between them until they kissed, and with that small gesture, the flood gates opened.

Tenten could feel him restlessly grab at her shirt, and as he bent down to kiss her, he was stretching it out.

She briefly separated their lips for a moment as she pulled her hands from him and to herself. Tenten took off her shirt, pulling it up and off of her as quickly as she could. Leaving her torso covered in her tanktop.

The moment Tenten's body became more exposed, Neji's hands worked quickly and swiftly. He didn't hesitate, letting his lips drop from Tenten's lips, and to her exposed chest and clavicle.

Tenten's breathing was much faster than before, and in the summer heat, both of them were helplessly panting and whimpering.

" Where should we go.."

Lee's voice shook past the late adolescents, causing their brief moment of passion to hit a dead halt. Neither were sure of what Lee would do when he saw them.

Tenten pushed Neji away and quickly dropped down to grab her shirt.

Within seconds of standing back up, her shirt was on and both her and Neji were locked on Lee.

Lee's arms were up and over his head as he laid on the ground, mumbling to himself.

" Gai sensei.. Two.. hundred push ups.."

Lee spoke aloud to himself as he dreamed and fumbled around on the ground.

Tenten and Neji both sighed and relaxed, only glancing at each other for a moment.

Neji's hand grazed her arm again, and Tenten violently pulled away, nearly falling over. Neji reached out for her, but Tenten slapped his hand away, glancing over to Lee.

" I can't do this.. " Tenten spoke quietly, turning from Neji and towards the fire.

" Tenten… "

" It was a mistake.. no. " Tenten spoke again, quietly under her breath.

She was going to break up their team, she just knew it. If somehow her and Neji were together, than their team dynamic would be compromised.

Neji reached out to help her, but again Tenten slapped his hand away again and made her way over towards the fire.

She knew it wasn't a mistake, she just wasn't sure how to fix it.

* * *

Tenten's body jolted awake as she feverishly looked around at her surroundings. She was in her room. Alone.

Her body was drenched in sweat, and the same lump that was in her stomach that night had returned, as had his smell. She knew he wasn't near her, so why could she still smell him near her.

Clenching her chest through her shirt, she bit her bottom lip and then sighed.

" Fuck.."

She spoke loudly to herself before throwing herself back onto her bed. She wouldn't be able to sleep for the rest of the night.


	3. The man with Green eyes

The overwhelming restlessness had almost gotten to her. On her last mission, just outside the mist village, she'd nearly gotten badly hurt. The thief they had been tracing had gotten wind of their arrival, and ambushed Tenten and her squad.

Her reaction time was heavily delayed, and she nearly got killed in an explosion. She was lucky her other team mates had noticed her lack of concentration, and pulled her from the blow before she was incinerated.

When she returned to Konoha, Tsunade wanted to have a word with her.

She was ashamed with herself. She'd always prided herself with being stronger than this. She'd let herself succumb to her demons and sleepless nights.

Tenten closed the Hokage's door and swallowed the hard ball of nerves and regret that had been building up in her throat. She waited quietly for the yelling to begin.

" Listen, Tenten, I get it.."

Tsunade's soft tone and quiet demeanor confused Tenten, but she looked on silently.

" The war was especially tough on some of you, and you yourself nearly lost your team mate and your sensei. I know first hand how old memories can resurface and haunt you. "

Tsunade's eyes, although still focused on Tenten, seemed to distance themselves as she remembered her own demons.

" It's not.. that.. "

Tsunade took a deep, solid breath and exhaled with a glowing smile.

" Your generation of ninjas is much more skilled, and much larger than the others. You are much more skilled than anyone has given you credit for. "

Tsunade paused and relaxed back in her chair, stretching out her arms and back, she sighed.

" If the nightmares don't stop, use them. "

Tsunade's unique use of words caught her off guard, it was as if she knew.

" If you have something that is haunting you, don't run from it, use it. Use the confusion, the anger and the fear to make yourself stronger. "

Tenten wouldn't reply, she briefly looked away from Tsunade as she began to feel her eyes water.

" I'm hoping that this is the last time this issue is going to come to my desk, hm?"

" Yes, Hokage.."

Tenten's voice shook as she spoke. She could feel her stomach twist and her body begin to shake.

Shizune knocked moments after Tsunade and Tenten's exchange, leaving tenten an opportunity to exit the room. A chance to escape that she would gladly take advantage of.

She wanted to be alone, and to think to herself, but her day would be full of interruptions.

" Tenten!"

She blocked out the voice and puddle along. She slowly waved in and out of civilians as she name was called yet again.

Shizune was quick to push through the crowd of people to reach her.

With an awkward shuffle and reaching lunge, Shizune grabbed Tenten's arm and quickly pulled her into an ally.

" You.." Shizune managed to breath out before kneeling over slightly, trying to catch her breath.

" You left before I could give you this. "

Shizune handed off a sealed envelope to Tenten, and continued to catch her breath. Tenten reluctantly took the envelope and quickly opened it.

It took a few moments, but as Tenten finished the letter, she looked up to Shizune for confirmation.

" Tsunade, as well as a Jonin counsel, hand picked you and others from the village to participate in the Chunin exams in Kumogakure. "

A shining smile began to overtake her face as she looked back to Shizune. This was her chance to redeem herself.

* * *

" Kumo, eh? " Tenten's father spoke continuously as he made breakfast for both of his children and spoke to his daughter.

" Pfft, why would they pick you? There are tons of other ninja who would be better off –"

Their father quickly threw a wooden spoon at his son, silencing him.

" I'm a weapons expert. "

Tenten spoke aloud to herself and her family, and briefly yawned afterwards. Her brother and father looked on, shocked. It wasn't very often that Tenten complimented herself, especially out loud.

" I'm also one of the best scroll sealers in the village so I think they're going to use me for some type of tactical or obstacle course. "

Tenten ate quickly, and both her father and brother still looked on with curiosity. Within a few minutes, Tenten excused herself from the table and began to finish packing for her trip.

She'd been working on other scrolls ideas, much smaller than the one she has now. She had an idea to put them on her wrists and front buckle. She'd work with some of the harnesses and bonding items when she returned.

* * *

Her father insisted in giving her a homemade meal for the road, to which she protested, but eventually gave in.

She would be briefed on her duties when she arrived, but for now she just had to worry about getting there.

The majority of the Genin would travel by foot with their three man teams, but Tenten for fortunate enough to be with both Sai and Shino for her trip. Sai's ink technique allowed her to fly on birds that had been drawn to life.

In the air, their time was cut in half, and they would make it within a day.

Tenten had her own large, black colored bird to tote her from Konohagakure to Kumo. Right before leaving for her journey, she had an idea.

" Sai.."

Tenten's voice seemed to get lost in the wind that was blowing past her at an incredible speed.

The ride to Kumo was, overall, very pleasant and warm. It was the end of the summer, and soon autumn would be here to calm the treacherous, hot sun.

Tenten continued to look over from her bird and over to his. She had mentioned to him before what she had wanted to do when they came into Kumo's boundaries.

The cloud cover had thickened enough that's she couldn't see the ground, and soon she wouldn't be able to see her team mates.

Sai looked at his surroundings and then over to Tenten. He didn't say anything, but he did smile and nod at her.

Moments after his nod, Tenten's eyes widened as tried not to scream. The bird she was sitting on, shot up, high into the sky.

Before she knew it she was above the clouds, but just barely. The bird's wings held steady, but even with it being this late in summer, at this elevation, she could see frost quickly form on the birds wings and on her clothing. She had to act fast.

Tenten pulled out a smaller scroll from a bag on her leg. Opening the scroll almost completely, she began to perform her hand signs, and tried to gain the courage to jump.

Her arms and legs tried to shake violently, but she fought to keep them still; she had worked too hard to fail herself now.

Tenten held up the scroll infront of her, then above her, as she took a leap of faith and jumped from the bird and down into the clouds.

The seal naturally had a 'sucking' pull to it, but it wasn't enough. Tenten had taken the chance and thrusted herself forwards to pull in as much of the clouds and fog as she could.

She couldn't breath, she had tried, but the air was too thin. As she fell she could feel her head lighten and her chest tighten as her body began craving some form of oxygen.

The force of her falling body shook the scroll hard enough that she almost lost her grip on it. She was too focused on completing the seal that she'd completely forgotten about the ground. When the clouds cleared it was too late, it was only a few meters of clean, visible air that allowed her to realize she'd fucked up.

Sai had watched and monitored her movements, and Tenten's lungs filled with only enough air for her to scream.

Sai had a bird catch her just in time. She rose swiftly as the bird carried her by her abdomen. She came close enough that the metal from her scroll lightly scraped a rock after her catch.

* * *

Kumo was known for their tough, endearing ninja, their ability to keep cool even under the worst circumstances, and their village's ability to thrive where none thought possible.

Tenten hadn't traveled to Kumo but only once before, so for her, this was a special treat. The Chunin exams worked differently here than in Konoha, There were three tests. The first was a team exercise that was only the duration of two days, and the second test was more brutal, pinning team mate against team mate. The winners were then given a week to rest and come up with a strategy before being entered into a main tournament, where much like the leaf village, the winners of the Chunin Title were not necessarily the winners of the match.

To say the large, overbearing city of Kumogakure was busy, was an understatement. There were Genin from every village arriving, as were their respective Jonin and Lords/Ladies from outside territories had also decided to show up and see what fresh, young ninja were available this year. Everyone was excited for the sense of normalcy that the Chunin exams brought. This was the first exam since the last war.

Tenten was met at Kumo's gate with her other fellow Konoha Jonin. She was then escorted by a Kumo Coordination Director, from there she was separated from all of them except Shino. Both were then directed to a large, towering brick building at the far end of the Village.

The building was busy, but both Tenten and Shino eventually found what floor they belonged on and what their respective duties were.

Both Shino and Tenten were to work with four other Jonin from other villages in creating the most dangerous and deceitful course for the three man teams to get through. The moment she stepped through the door, she was greeted as though she was a celebrity. She was surprised at how much information they had on her.

" Basically, you're job is to make it as hard as possible for the teams to reach the end point. We're involving scrolls, like in the prior exams, but the Genin are unaware that the scrolls themselves aren't worth anything. "

Tenten was relatively quiet, she knew what was needed of her, and if she had a concern she'd voice it. There was so much going on with so many people, that there was no point to make a fuss now.

There was a small pause as one of the Jonin from Sunagakure looked over to Tenten questioningly.

" So, what exactly did you have planned? "

The room fell silent, and Tenten could feel dozens of eyes staring at her. Waiting on her every word.

" I was thinking I would use some unpredictable weather to make them disoriented, point them in the wrong directions. I have some dangerous, and very venomous reptiles and other mammals sealed that I'll have set to be triggered along the course, and with Shino's help, I think we can make this one of the hardest things they've ever had to accomplish. "

Tenten began to smile slightly, feeling uncomfortable as she spoke about scaring children with venomous scorpions and snakes.

" Scare the fucking shit out of those bastards! "

Someone yelled from the crowd, and everyone began to laugh just moments later. Shino immediately nudged Tenen's arm and she watched a small, barely noticeable smile creep across his face.

* * *

Shino and Tenten accompanied one another after the meeting, where tomorrow they would go into the battle area and set the traps and tomorrow evening, the exams would start.

" Where do you want to eat? " Tenten spoke loudly, as the crowd around them had grown more anxious by the hour.

" Steak? "

Shino spoke much quieter than her, but Tenten herd him perfectly. A satisfied smile crossed her face as she looked over to him and nodded. She was ready to eat and sleep the next eight hours away.

Dinner was when they would finish their plans on the battle area. The area itself was separated into four main quadrants. Even though Kumo was primarily rock and some water, much of it also housed an abundant forest and mountains. All covered in a thick, ambiguous fog. They had actually enjoyed planning how they were going to torture this years contestants. She couldn't help but laugh as they ate and planned each area.

They were interrupted by a group of Jonin from The Mist Village.

Tenten didn't recognize him right away, but after he introduced himself, she began to remember.

" It's really nice to see you again. "

Tenten was sitting down at a table with Shino in a packed Bbq restaurant, while the man tried to talk to her.

" Hey-Hey! Ryu! It's the bun head girl you're always talking about! "

Tenten watched as the group of boys behind him teased him and were shooed away. If she remembered correctly, Ryu had nearly gotten his head taken off by one of the many revived corpses during the war, and Tenten had dropped in and saved him. She also made sure he was brought to a medical area before leaving again. He was in so much shock to thank her, she was sure he'd forgotten her.

" Are you in town for the exams? "

Tenten chatted with him for a minute while Shino ate her half of the beef, and quietly excused himself.

Ryu let himself sit down after Shino left, Tenten reluctantly agreed and chatted with him for a minute.

She was honored that he was so excited to see her, but she was so tired and hungry. The thought of passing out on a soft bed far out weighed the conversation she was having at the moment.

She watched him as he spoke, and noticed that he was gradually turning a soft shade of pink.

He was cute, but the more she began to appreciate his compliments and stories, the more she began to think about Neji.

Her face hardened for a moment as she reminded herself what a great job she'd done without him. She was gaining recognition as a seal and weapons expert, being asked to give input at important meeting and now recently, being sought after by afflicted lovers.

' lovers? '

Tenten though to herself, making her smile outwardly as she laughed at the word.

What a joke.

His face had a thin layer of prickly brown hair that looked like he'd forgotten to shave for a day or so, and his hair looked like it was maybe down to his shoulders, but for now was up in a small bun.

Her face began to wrinkle, as she felt her face begin to flush as he placed his hand on hers.

She noticed his striking green eyes and immediately looked away.

" Anyway, I just wanted to say thank you. "

" It was great seeing you again, but.."

Tenten spoke calming to her new visitor, smiling warmly and trying to get up.

" NEJI-KUN! " Tenten listened, her body completely frozen as her eyes darted across the restaurant to see Neji.

Tenten's body was frozen, and frightened; as though she'd seen a ghost.

" I'm so bored here, please can we go the festival! " The woman with Neji whined like a spoiled child.

Tenten looked on silently as the young woman threw herself around one of his arms and buried herself into his shoulder.

Tenten's face began to darken slightly as she looked on, watching the beautiful, blonde, young woman pull and hug on Neji from across the restaurant.

" I need to leave, I'm sorry.. " Tenten spoke again to Ryu before getting up and preparing to excuse herself from the table.

Ryu offered to walk to home, and without listening she agreed.

" Tenten.. "

Tenten heart stopped in her chest for a few moments before starting back up again. It had felt like forever since he'd said her name.

" Are you ready to go? " Ryu spoke from behind Tenten. When he didn't get a reply, he put an easy hand on her shoulder.

"Tenten? "

Tenten's face began to wildly flush as she realized that Ryu was right next to her, and not only that, he was noticeably taller than her. His hand was large enough to cover her entire shoulder.

' nononono! ' Tenten thought to herself, feeling embarrassed and confused.

This guy was just some novice loser who was saying thank you, why was she getting so nervous around him.

" Tenten? "

Tenten listened as, this time, Neji repeated her name and her attention was drawn from Ryu and to Neji.

" Oh, hey! " Tenten tried to speak casually, but in her awkward state sounded more drunk than sober.

" I didn't know you got picked to participate.." Neji spoke clearly to her and glanced over to Ryu for a moment.

She could tell that he wanted to have a real conversation with her, but this wasn't the time.

" NEJIIIII! " The blonde woman was much closer to them now, and pulling at Neji's clothing from behind.

" You promised we'd leave soon."

Tenten stood quietly as the young, beautiful woman openly used her bare hands to touch his neck and hands, pulling him away from Tenten and her new acquaintance.

" I- uh. "

Neji spoke in a short, bewildered tone, planting himself for a moment before shifting his attention to Ryu, and his hand on Tenten's shoulder.

The woman he was with was persistent and very loud, with another small outburst, he was forced to leave the restaurant, still trying to keep eye contact with her as he was dragged away.

She wanted to apologize to Ryu, but he was in such good spirits that she hadn't bothered. He laughed quite a bit, and Tenten found herself smiling at him, and trying to listen to his stories.

When they got to the rental apartments she thanked him for walking her home, and he was quick to also thank her.

" I'll probably see you around this week.. Good luck with the exams. "

Ryu's deep voice and charming personality made Tenten question why he was being so nice to her still, but she'd allow it for this one night. The only night she'd ever see him.

She was sharing the apartment with the other Konoha Jonin, and would wait until the proper time to get back at Shino for eating her half of the food.

She got ready for bed quickly, and before turning off the light to her room she repeated to herself quietly, and with a disgusted look.

" Neji-kun?.."

Who did this woman think she was, being so personal with someone she couldn't have known that long. Unless it hadn't been 'that long', but the entire time he'd been away.

He'd found a new girl to occupy him faster than she'd thought he would.


	4. Conflicted Feelings

" Do you think I'm being too hard on him? "

Tenten spoke loudly across a crowded section of forest that was slowly being taken over by fog.

" If I had a younger sibling, I'd do the same thing. "

Shino's voice echoed back over to her, and Tenten's shoulder dropped slightly as his words relieved her anxiety a little.

To her surprise Ki'Yu's Chunin application was approved, as was the rest of his three person team. This meant she had a chance to get back at him for being such a little snot to her.

" You're doing fire and wind at this end? "

Shino spoke again, but this time Tenten could see the outline of his body as he began to approach her through the fog.

She nodded in reply, and quickly shot more ideas at him.

" I think I might set some Piranha seals by the river, and maybe some bird or snake ones by these clearings. "

Shino didn't respond right away, and the closer he got the more clearly she could see a barely noticeable smirk on his face.

" All fear Tenten, the beast master. "

The smirk on his face grew larger the more Tenten began to smile. She had tried to keep a straight face, but when ever Shino did try to tell a joke, which was nearly unheard of, she couldn't help but grin.

But if she was honest with herself, maybe she did go a little overboard with the traps this year.

The set up took up the better part of the day, and Tenten made a map with Shino, and the other Villages Jonin, to make sure they were ready for any disqualifications, deaths or surrenders.

" Let me get lunch. "

Shino spoke with an exasperated voice. Both him and Tenten were dragging their feet leaving the course. They had put everything they could think of against these kids.

" We only have an hour. "

Tenten moaned loudly as both her and Shino found the closest Ramen bar and ordered food & drinks.

The feeling between exhausted on an empty stomach, and exhausted on a full stomach, were totally different.

Even though both Jonin were tired, a few bowls of ramen and almost six cups of tea, caused both of their spirits to lift and their energy to return.

Tenten was suspicious when Shino abruptly stood up and quickly left, she was sure he was running out on the bill. However, she watched him put some cash down on their table before nodding to someone behind Tenten and quietly excusing himself.

Tenten glanced over her shoulder to see Neji walk past Shino and sit in the chair across from her.

There was a small silence between the two of them. Neji warmly beamed over at her, while she looked on at him, a little confused.

" You're a Jonin now? "

His voice seemed very quiet to her.

Tenten nodded in reply, finishing her last cup of tea and glancing at the clock. They didn't have a lot of time to chat.

" How's your job? "

Tenten didn't hesitate, but made sure to keep it professional.

" It's been a new experience, I'm learning a lot. "

Neji and Tenten both trailed off a little. Neither one wanting to bring up the topic that they needed to talk about, both afraid of what the other might say.

Neither one wanted to seem hurt or desperate.

Tenten abruptly stood up from the table and quickly grabbed some coins from her pocket, and placed them on the table before glancing at the clock one final time.

" My part of the exam is starting, I have to leave. "

Tenten weakly smiled at him before turning to leave, and coming to a complete halt.

Neji had compulsively reached forwards and grabbed the fabric on the arm of her shirt.

Neither one of them moved. Both were trapped in one another's next movement. Even as everyone moved quickly around them, Neji nor Tenten didn't dare to flinch.

Tenten could feel her entire body begin to flush and her heart race. She didn't have time for this right now.

She made sure not to look at him as he spoke, and after he was finished, she'd leave without a word.

" The girl I was with last night, it was the Northern Emperors daughter. I'm supposed to escort her around the exams safely.."

Tenten managed a meek smirk before Neji's grip loosened and she quickly walked away.

* * *

She knew it was stupid, but she couldn't let it go. Why did he even need to tell her that to begin with? Did he think she was jealous or something? Was there a reason for her to be jealous?

A small part of her was relieved in some way, but the other part of her was angry. Why did it matter so much to him, that he'd find her and explain the situation? If he had really cared, he'd at least of said goodbye when he left the village.

Either way the exams were starting, and she'd be too busy to dwell over this now.

* * *

There were more teams than she expected. There were around thirty, three man teams. She was sure that by the end of this, not even a quarter would make it.

There wasn't a grand stage or ceremony. The three squad members were all collectively huddled together, afraid of what might come but excited to prove themselves worthy of the name Chunin.

Instead of something big and extravagant, Tenten, Shino and a few others had decided to make it as simple and scary as possible.

The groups were ordered to stand in their squads and wait at the entrance of the forest. Each group was given either a Leaf Metal or a Sun Metal. The object of the forest was to get one Sun Metal and one Leaf Metal and make it to the end.

Tenten and Shino walked in a little late, but the other Jonin were enjoying themselves too much to notice.

Unlike the very well lit, very festive Village of Kumogakure, the Forest of Missing was far enough from the lights and sounds of the village, that it was practically pitch black. That combined with the traps, and fog, made it much more frightening to the young shinobi.

" You're on. "

One of the Kumo Jonin nudged her shoulder and let out a snarky laugh.

Tenten came out from the side of the groups with a single flashlight and a loud booming voice.

" Welcome to this years Chunin Exams. My name is Tenten and I will be one of your proctors for the exam this year. The exams will be done a little differently this year, as there are so many teams. "

Tenten paused as the metals were given out to each team, as was a small flashlight.

" Not every team will receive a metal, but if you want to leave the exams with your team members you will need both a sun Metal and a Leaf Metal. Only these two will grant you access to the next part of the exams. The dense fog in the forest will make it nearly impossible to see, and make the flashlights useless. The main use of the flashlights are for surrendering. "

Tenten paused as some of the groups began to gasp and chat amongst themselves.

" Point the flashlight directly up, like so. "

Tenten held the flashlight directly up and at the sky. The beams from the flashlight cleared the looming fog behind her and escaped to the fading sky above.

" There are no rules inside the forest, there is no such thing as cheating, and killing your fellow shinobi is allowed. "

More gasps and a few whimpers now escaped from the groups, as Shino gave a subtle thumbs up from the far left of the groups. She had been so excited to try and scare the kids.

" There are pits of quicksand, venomous snakes and formidable creatures to also look out for within the forest. You will have three days to reach the tower on the far side of the forest. If you're not there by noon on the third day, your team is disqualified. "

A Kumo Jonin now emerged from the forest and carried with him a heavy coat of fog. The mist lifting from him as he came out into the open. Tenten turned off her flashlight and went to the sidelines, as he finished prepping the kids for the exam and sent them into the forest.

* * *

" You enjoyed that. "

Shino spoke coyly as Tenten fought back a smile and eventually gave in.

" Do you remember how scary our exams were? "

She tried to justify her actions, but she couldn't. She'd enjoyed herself too much to try to hide it.

" Hey, hey! That was really spooky back there. I loved every minute of it! "

Tenten and Shino looked over their shoulders and in back of them to see Sai and Ino.

Both sat down at their table, and Tenten had them bring over more meat to bbq.

They had decided to treat themselves for a few hours. Their job wasn't done yet, not until three days at noon. If a team dropped out it was their job to go in and help them. But for now they were off duty. They'd pick up the next shift at 6am.

" Everyone's talking about how great you both were at the exams today, especially you Tenten! " Ino sent a friendly nudge into Tenten's shoulder and laughed.

She was embarrassed, but happy. The exams were finally at a point where she could relax.

" Ryu! Come over and have dinner with us! "

Ino had turned around as Tenten was eating and motioned for someone to come over. Tenten hadn't noticed until he sat down next to her.

Ryu looked over at Tenten, their shoulders were practically touching.

" Green eyes.. "

Tenten mumbled to herself quietly before realizing what she had said. Her face began to flush as she quickly looked away from him.

" What are you doing here! "

Tenten shot loudly at Ryu, causing everyone around their table to look at their group. She was always number one at humiliating herself.

" Ryu and I worked together on a different part of the exam today. "

Ino spoke in a regular tone, trying to make sure she was heard over the bustling restaurant. But quickly she put up her hand and hid her mouth and face from Ryu and hunched over to Tenten.

" Plus he's really cute and he totally likes you! "

Tenten's face quickly turned from a soft peachy pink, or a sickly maroon color. She had hoped he hadn't heard any of this.

To her surprise Ryu was busy talking to Shino and Sai about the village and hadn't noticed. It still would take some time for the blood to leave her face and for her skin to look normal.

To her surprise dinner was very quiet and nice. Everyone chatted about the exams and about the village festival and fireworks that were scheduled for the day after the exams were supposed to be over.

Their group was one of the last ones to leave the BBQ restaurant, and Tenten hadn't even noticed how much time had passed.

" Well, me and Sai are going to go cover more of the exam schedule, Shino did you want to come join us? "

Ino pushed at Shino and Aburame Clan member politely denied the request. Ino asked again, but this time she forcefully grabbed his arm and began to pull him with her and Sai.

" Oh well, guess you two will have to walk home together- see you both tomorrow! "

Ino moved and spoke so quickly that she really didn't have time to argue.

* * *

Ryu spoke to her as they walked, and Tenten would chime in when she could. Her body hurt so incredibly much, that she had trouble keeping up with Ryu's pace.

The star lit night was hesitant to show itself amongst the village's bright lights, but outside of the village at her temporary home, you could begin to see the stars and dark nights sky.

Ryu mentioned how nice she looked, and Tenten practically snorted at his comment. She knew she looked awful.

Her hair was a mess, and she was covered in sand and sweat. She knew she looked the least feminine out of anyone around her for most of the day, but she appreciated the effort.

Their walk was over, and Tenten stepped up and onto the step before her doorway to say goodbye.

The sleepy and practically zombie-like state she was in, quickly shifted to extremely awake and started, as Ryu reached forwards and put an arm over Tenten and against her front door.

Ryu's height allowed for him to hunch over her, and Tenten could feel every ounce of adrenaline she had rush to her face and chest. Tenten's eyes widened dramatically, as he stood above her.

Ryu's bright green eyes looked down onto her, and even in the poor lighting of her doorway, she could see them inching closer and closer to hers.

There was no "yes" or "no" in this situation to her. She didn't have the time to decide critically if what was happening was a good or bad decision. Her body only acted on how it was feeling in that moment.

She wouldn't remember the way she pushed herself up and forwards, or that Ryu's free hand had somehow managed to grab and hold her own. Not until later, when her mind had the time to try and sort her feelings, would she then be able to decide.

Ryu's body seemed to be all around her, and the closer his face grew to hers, the more she could feel her body tense, and heart slow.

He paused for just a moment, as his lips stood just inches from hers. The only sound around them was the far off cry of crickets chirping in the forest. Tenten could feel her lips part gently as the warmth from his breath and body began to gently push past her neck and face.

The grip of his fingers tightened onto hers as he leaned forwards, trying to close those few inches between them.

Tenten's body relaxed, as she closed her eyes.


	5. It's always been you

Everything had happened so fast, that when Ryu fell down with her, Tenten had realized she'd almost made a huge mistake.

She didn't like him, or at least she wasn't sure yet. The overwhelming stress and lonely nights she'd gone through repeatedly had made her mind weary. She'd nearly kissed a stranger.

Shino was there to pick up the pieces and without much to say, he helped Tenten to her feet, and quietly closed their front door. Without saying much he helped Tenten to her feet, and left to head back to bed.

" Shino! "

Tenten's voice was cracked and strained, she looked at him confused and bewildered.

She had nearly made a big mistake, but he'd been here to make sure she made it back on her feet.

" Your shift starts in six hours. "

Shino spoke softly and turned away from Tenten to yawn and head back to his bedroom.

She sighed heavily and nodded to the invisible person in the room with her. She knew she needed to get some sleep before her big day tomorrow.

* * *

The following day went by without any real problems. She worked her shift and left without much incident.

Seven teams had quit and three more had forfeited due to a member becoming terribly ill or being incapacitated. Kids had gotten poisoned or severely dehydrated, nothing too out of the ordinary.

Shino had a few hours before his shift started, and Tenten offered to get him some late lunch. By the next afternoon their section of the exams would be over and soon the next phase would start, following that would be the festival.

Amongst all the unique and diverse foods that had been opened and that were open in local street cars, they chose a BBQ bar. She knew a little piece of home was what they both needed.

Tenten and Shino were both almost done with their meals when Tenten heard a familiar voice.

At first she was unsure, and the questionable look on her face softened as she hesitated looking over her shoulder to find out. She didn't need to turn around or question the voice much longer, the cattiness of the conversation gave the person away.

" That's all he talks about! "

The voice was angry and loud, but a second voice came in a shushed the upset woman.

" What-what Clair? "

" That.. _Stupid Bun Girl_.. "

She could practically feel the heat from the woman's voice cooking the back of her neck, and Tenten was hesitant to turn around. She wasn't a fan of confrontation.

Shino's eye brows perked up and Tenten watched a small smile wash over his normally stern face. She was quick to shoot him a angry, pouted face, this was no time for jokes.

"What's SO GREAT ABOUT YOU! "

Tenten had been distracted by Shino, and hand' noticed the woman come up behind her and brashly shove at her shoulder.

Tenet's body bent forwards for a moment, as her hands shot up and caught herself. She turned and shot the woman a perturbed, impatient look.

She was acting like a bratty child.

But upon turning her body around from her seated position, she could see that the woman was distressed and in tears.

" Clair lets go! People are starting to stare! "

The nervous woman with Clair tugged at her shirt, but that only made her temper flare.

Tenten didn't say anything, the pain in the woman's eyes made her expression soften, which then caused the woman the lash out further.

She went to shove Tenten again, but this time Shino quickly stood up and put an arm between the two of them.

" I think it's time for you to be going. "

Between Shino's stern plea, and the woman tugging on her shirt, Clair turned and left, but not before shooting a disgusted look at Tenten.

* * *

" You're super popular. "

Shino's snide remark made Tenten smirk. He had been becoming really good at breaking apart stressful situations. Normally she'd get on his case, but he'd earned this one so she'd let him have it.

" See you in ten hours. "

Shino's voice was calm, and Tenten waved him off before turning and preparing to head into rest.

" Uh, Ms. Tenz? "

Tenten was almost a hundred yards from the apartment building when she was stopped by a young man. A young man who either didn't know her name or was pronouncing it incorrectly.

" You're a proctor in the exams, right?"

The man was about her age, and looked extremely nervous.

She only had about nine hours until her shift started and she wanted to get some sleep before she had to go back in. The last hurdle of the first part of the exams was going to be more gory. As scrolls became more limited, the teams were going to become more violent. She knew she needed this sleep if she wanted to not be an angry dragon woman.

Still the man fumbled his words and was beginning to shake nervously.

She began to notice other things about him now as he stood infont of her longer. His cloths were covered in a thin layer of dust, and he had fresh scrape marks on his knees and hands. His face was dirty as well, and smudged with what looked like blood.

Sleeping would have to wait.

" We were just fooling around. "

Tenten was running, nearly at full speed and the man next to her was having trouble keeping up. There had been an accident while two Chunin were training and someone had tried to help them, but it had caused one of the rocky towers on top of the mountains around Kumo to collapse.

" You were the-" His voice was going in and out now as he ran out of breath. "-first person I found! "

It was outside Kumo a little ways, but she could still clearly see the dust hanging in the air where the fall had occurred. She left the panting man behind and rushed forwards.

The closer she got the thicker the bits of rock and debris hung in the air, making the visibility of spotting anyone, really low.

That's when she heard the moaning.

Someone voice was cackling through he thick air, crying and moaning for help. The air was growing thicker, and Tenten could feel her throat begin to feel the effects of breathing in so much congested air. She wasn't going to find them in time.

Pausing abruptly, she turned hastily and grabbed the large scroll from her back and opened it about a quarter way. She took as deep of a breath as she could, and focused her chakra into her hands.

With three hand signals and one quick burst of energy, Tenten unleashed a violent wind storm into the area. One that blew away every bit of rock and dust in the air, and allowed for her to see what the situation was.

Without hesitation she closed the scroll, and placed it back into its holster on her lower back. She bolted forwards and quickly found the survivors.

Her body was in shock for a moment, because she knew the back and torso of one of the bodies, but it wasn't moving. The other body was moving, and was actively groaning as he held his ribs and arm.

She wasn't sure how much time either had, but Tenten knew she had to act fast.

Tenten reached down and gently pulled up the other, unconscious body, which was none other than Neji Hyuga.

" He, tried to help us.." The other injured man next to her whimpered under his breath.

Tenten wasn't a medic ninja, but the hospital wasn't that far away, she'd have to use a quick solution.

She pulled a smaller scroll from her hip pocket and quickly opened it. Much like the movements before, she summoned two large creatures from the scroll, using a few hand signals and good chunk of her chakra.

Two large black birds appeared from the scroll, Both appearing like larger, more robust ravens and each had a small Konohagakure, metal plate tied around one of their feet. Tenten had briefly worked with the animals, and in time was preparing to use them as her summoning creatures.

For now they'd have to work as high flying ambulances.

The birds were obedient, and were highly intelligent, they accessed the situation and immediately began to help Tenten.

Tenten carefully moved Neji, and was thankful to hear a low groan from him as she moved his body from the ground and onto the bird. The other two boys were also taken to the sky, and to the local Kumogakure hospital.

* * *

The Chunin caught in the rockslide had two broken ribs and a split fractured arm, while his friend only suffered superficial wounds. Neji's were a little more serious, he'd suffered some head trauma and his left shoulder had been popped from its socket. He has some small blood loss, and some deep cuts on his back, but other than that he'd be fine.

Tenten left the room as two doctors went in to undress Neji and put him into proper hospital cloths. While he was unconscious they popped his shoulder back in and sutured the wounds on his back.

They let her go back in after the procedures were finished.

" He's going to be in some pain, but as long as he continues to get fluids, we can release him tomorrow morning. "

Tenten listened and nodded, periodically the other two boys from the accident would stop over to make sure he was also alright.

It was both uncomfortable and relaxing for her to walk into the hospital room Neji was being held in.

All of those sleepless nights had seem to of fallen behind her. The constant dreams of them kissing, or the lonely nights of her feeling unsure of herself, all of it had been put on the back burner when the exams came up. But in the moments she walked into his room, some of them came bubbling to the surface.

Neji was sill asleep, his back had been propped up slightly and Tenten noticed that his hair wasn't pulled back, but down over his shoulders. His forehead was visible, as was his Hyuga seal mark. It had been so long since she'd seen him look this vulnerable and calm.

She paused before reaching his bed, and even though he was roughed up and recovering, the look of him being so peaceful, made her grin from ear to ear.

' _I love you..'_

Tenten's mind drifted for a moment, as she appreciated all of his little features. He had the smallest dimple on only one side of one of his cheeks, the way he tended to turn away before he smiled, or even the time he'd let her fix his hair after it had gotten messed up during a mission.

He'd been gone for so long, she'd nearly forgot.

" **Oh** no."

Tenten spoke aloud, realizing what her heart had known all along. Her face has twisted slightly as her heart beat picked up. She couldn't take her eyes off of him.

This over obsessing, this heart pounding-unexplainable explosive feeling with these sleepless nights and constant need to be around him.

She was in love with him. This was what love was.

She continued to walk over to his bed, and sat in the chair next to the bed, her face heavily flushing as she clumsily sat down and began to zone out into the deepest reaches of her mind.

She couldn't remember when it had happened. It wasn't the kiss, it had happened so much further back than that.. But she couldn't figure out the moment when she'd definitely fallen in love with him.

She'd been in love with him for such a long time then. The uneasiness, the unexplained feeling in the pits of her stomach every time he said her name, or the constant dismissal of anything being remotely close between them in the back of her mind.

It had been there all along.

Her face wasn't just flushing now, it was her bare forearms and hands, her neck and shoulders. Her feelings were literally bubbling to the surface of her skin.

Neji lowly groaned and Tenten's daze lifted, she placed her hands on the bed and leaned in towards him. Without notice his hand grabbed both of hers, as his body tensed and relaxed, his face showing the pain he was in for a few moments before it softened and he fell back asleep.

She didn't move an inch, her overheated hands being cooled down and calmed by his one hand. He grasped her hand again as his body winced, before going back to sleep again.

A small part of her wanted her to pull away, but that part of her was overwhelmed by the part of her that wanted her to stay here with him, in this moment.

In this moment where he was unguarded and calm, where she could watch him without him trying to turn away or distract her. Where she could look at him and begin to remember all those times they had laughed, and their relationship had built up, far past just friends, or just team mates.

She wanted this, more than anything. To sit with him, and hold his hands to comfort him.

She couldn't remember ever wanting something so much.

The room had fallen silent, and the sun that had warmed their room was setting behind her. She knew she had to go to work in a few short hours, but missing sleep over him was worth it.

She'd give up sleeping the rest of her life to stay in here with him, like this. Tenten's eyes grew heavier, and the longer the sun stayed down, and their room darkened, the further off to sleep she grew


	6. Confidence

( So, FF's doc manager isn't working for a lot of its users ( me being one of them! ) So this story is in two smaller parts instead of one big part! I'm sorry for any inconvenience. )

* * *

" Tenten.."

The sleepy kunoichi was hunched over on Neji's lap, her forearms unevenly weighted underneath her, as her head rested against his arm.

" Psst.."

Tenten listened, as her and Neji's once quiet room was intruded by a stranger.

" Hm.."

Tenten's loud grumble was meant to quiet the annoying voice, but instead it began to laugh.

" You have to go to work in a an hour.."

Tenten's eyes shot open as she swallowed hard, and began to remember what had happened the night before.

The room was still dark, but with the faintest light in the distance of where the hallway was.

Ino stood on the other side of the bed, and smiled down on them smugly.

" So, what happened here? "

She pressed at Tenten, but she was too concerned with finding out what time it was and making sure she wasn't late.

She shot up from her sitting position and nearly fell over, her body was a jumbled mess from sleeping so awkwardly.

" It's Three-Thirty, you're fine.. "

Ino spoke into the darkness of the room, and without hesitation Tenen fell back down into her chair next to Neji's bed.

Ino turned on a dim light in the far corner of the room and quietly pulled a chair over next to Tenten.

" One of the nurses told me what happened, that was really brave to just run in there without telling anyone.."

Tenten shook her head in protest, because she hadn't even given it a second thought.

" So is this a thing now? " Ino spoke quietly, pointing to both Neji and Tenten while smiling.

Tenten's hesitance to answer was all the explanation she needed.

Tenten closed her eyes and yawned, quickly pulling down her hair and fixing it. She wouldn't have time to change, but she could fix her hair, eat something and work her shift.

" Whaaaat! "

Ino exclaimed while getting up and pushing Tenten's hands out of the way, she then gently grabbed her hair and began to run her hands through it.

" I've never seen your hair down, it's so beautiful! "

Tenten would normally have the reaction time to stop someone from touching her, but considering her lack of sleep and that it was Ino, she was fine with it.

" So pretty! "

The Yamanaka exclaimed, still running her hands back through her hair and beginning to braid it.

" Would you let me do your hair for the festival? "

Ino peaked down and looked at Tenten, and she shrugged in response. She wasn't really going to get that dressed up for it, and telling Ino 'no' on anything was a hassle.

Ino quietly squealed to herself as she pulled back Tenten's hair and braided the sides to the back, but left the rest down. Tenten's hair was almost to her waist, and having this much hair down wasn't easy when you were dealing with missions or fighting in general.

Ino parted her hair down the middle and made two small buns in the back of her hair using two braids, before ending the rest of her hair in another long braid.

Without hesitation Ino pulled Tenten up and over to a mirror, where Tenten looked at the new style her locks were in.

" Pretty.."

Tenten spoke quietly out loud, rubbing her eyes and smiling over to Ino.

" You're going to have to show me how you did it, I might start doing this instead.. "

Tenten spoke again and Ino fell forwards, embracing her.

" He's awake."

Tenten's body tensed up, as her eyes widened and her heart began to pick up in speed.

Ino let go of Tenten and left the room, flashing Ino a wild grin and wink before leaving.

Neji seemed disoriented, but Tenten was quick to make sure she was at his side as he woke up.

She could tell he seemed confused for a moment, but Tenten quickly explained to him that he was in the hospital in Kumogakure.

He groaned after trying to shift around, and she reminded him that he wouldn't be able to do much heavy lifting, because his collar bone had been broken.

" I'm going to go get Ino, she was just here, I bet she could heal it so you can at least finish the exams."

Tenten went to get up, but Neji put his hand out to grab hers, causing her to stop.

" It's fine.."

His voice was cracked, and she could tell that his eyes still needed a little time to heal. So instead of trying to get up she sat back down to keep him company.

" I have maybe a half hour, then I have to go.."

Tenten spoke to him without looking at him.

He didn't let go of her hand, and tried to sit up, his entire face wincing in pain as she straightened his posture.

" Those kids.."

Tenten finished his sentence for him.

" – are fine.. "

There was a small moment of silence between them before Tenten finally looked over to Neji.

His eyes were unfocused and he sighed, still looking out past his bed and at the wall infront of him.

" I didn't try to run from you.."

Neji spoke, his head bending over the opposite way of Tenten.

" I never wanted to hurt you, Tenten.."

He finished his thought, and the ball of nerves that she was sure had disappeared in her stomach, was back.

She couldn't be mad at him anymore, being upset and mad at him had almost caused her to kiss a stranger and mess up a mission. If she was going to keep going this way, she was going to fail.

Tenten knew how she felt now, or to be honest, how she'd always felt.

She wasn't mad at him, and to be honest, all of this alone time with him was making her hate the exams. She wanted to stay with him the rest of the day.

" I'm not upset, it's fine. "

Neji didn't seem to believe her, and she had to tighten the grip on his hands and bend further over his bed to get his attention.

" I'm just glad you're okay.. "

The feeling of him squeeze her hand, and readjust to make sure their fingers were laced together, made her heart start to jump out of her chest.

She had to leave for work in a few minutes, she didn't want to feel like a pumped up mess before she left.

" I have to go finish up the first part of the exams, I'll make sure to find you right after I'm done."

Tenten promised him, bringing up her spare hand and placing it over both his and hers.

She got up and immediately turned to open the window behind her, she knew how much he loved mornings and the fresh air that came with them.

" Tenten.."

His voice sounded broken and ashamed, and Tenten knew part of this was her fault.

No..

Nearly all of this was her fault, if she hadn't pushed him away and freaked out the first time he kissed her, and if she'd been more responsive to him when he approached her in Kumogakure, maybe none of this would have happened.

Maybe they would already be together.

She knew she needed to go, but mostly wanted to leave him to rest.

" I promise, we can have dinner together, okay? "

Tenten couldn't help but smile again, she loved seeing him this unguarded. His hair was all down and around his face, and he had nothing to cover his forehead.

She couldn't put her finger on it, but something about him reminded her of 'home'.

Tenten's face began to furiously blush as she realized she'd been staring at him for almost a minute. She cleared her throat and pulled up the covers on him, and left before he could say another word.


	7. You're My Home

( So FF's Doc-Manager isn't working for me and many other users, so instead of doing one big story I had to do a two parter! Sorry for the inconvenience. )

She found Ino before she left and asked her to take a look at his back and collar bone, she seemed happy to help, and Tenten was beyond relieved.

The last part of the exams were the most exciting, but she was exhausted and wanted to get them over with.

Tenten, Shino and two other Instructors made their way through the forest and to the Tower that sat at the end.

The students had until noon to make it there, but this last stretch of the exam would indefinitely be the most brutal. Teams would cut throat one another to get the scrolls needed to make it to the next phase.

Teams were allowed to rest up, change, shower and get medical attention while they waited.

She wasn't surprised to see her bother, but seeing him finish so early did surprise her.

He was banged up pretty bad, as were his other Konohagakure Team Mates.

Tenten accepted their scrolls, and led them to a recovery area.

Ki'Yu was very quiet around her when he first arrived, and up until she was about to leave and go downstairs. Finally he stopped her and asked her to look at his arm.

She wasn't supposed to provide special treatment to anyone, but since he'd finished the first part of the exams, she was allowed to help him.

He'd been bitten by something in the forest, and the upper part of his left arm was very swollen.

" I'm sorry for being a jerk.."

Tenten didn't immediately respond, she smiled and used some ointment she had made to treat him. She wrapped his arm and got down to eye level with him.

" Mom would be so proud of you, Ki'Yu.." Tenten smiled warmly at him, and the genin lunged forwards and began to cry.

" It was really bad in there, and.. and.."

Tenten was a little surprised, but openly embraced him as he cried into her shoulder. She remembered her Genin Exams, and how bad they had been.

" You did such a great job, but.."

Tenten pulled away and quickly wiped the dirt and tears from his face before pulling him close to her again.

" This is just the beginning of the exams, so you need to stay strong. I'll be cheering you on from the sides okay? "

Tenten eased up her grip and he immediately looked away from her and nodded, his face began to flush as he realized he just broke down infront of his sister.

" You have about four hours to rest up, make sure you eat something too, Dad will yell at me if you go another day without eating! "

Tenten spoke down to him, quickly pointing her finger down to him before standing up and turning to walk away.

She walked away and peeked behind her for a moment, watching to make sure he really was okay.

Ki'Yu quickly got up and nodded to himself before leaving and heading towards the showers.

The exams were brutal for the young teens, but the ones that had made it, deserved to be there.

She gathered the Genin that had made it past the first stage at noon, and spoke to them as a group.

" Congratulations on surviving the Suicide Forest and making it past the first part of the exams! "

Her fellow Jonin began to clap, and so did she. A few of the kids leapt around and hollered, but most of them were too tired.

" The Next part of the Exams begins.. Now!"

Tenten had all of the attention in the room brought up to a giant electric Tv that was in the far corner of the room.

The large room that everyone was standing in had been removed of food and other luxuries, and as the teenagers looked around, they began to figure out they they were in a Gym.

The TV turned on and began to randomly generate Genin, placing them next to one another on the screen, and setting up the battles for the next section of the Exams.

" I'll be handing this section of the exams off to your new proctors, Ms. Ino Yamanaka and Samui of Kumogakure.."

Tenten Spoke before stepping out of the way of the two tall blondes, and within seconds the emotion of the room had shifted.

Ino and Samui both emerged from behind Tenten and Tenten clapped, along with the other Jonin, welcoming them.

The Genin were either angry or speechless, but they had no choice. They were going to go up against strangers, rivals, and friends.

" Listen up kids, you're going to be randomly paired off by our systems, and then-" Samui motioned up to the screen in back of them, " you're going to fight until you faint or die. Which ever comes first. After that you will have some time to recover and then your last section of the exams begins.."

Samui's serious attitude made the room tense, and Tenten was glad to see Ino step up to speak also.

" You guys have done an extraordinary job, don't give up now! Remember what you're fighting so hard for, to become Chunin! Let's go! "

Ino began to clap in support of the Genin and the rest of the Jonin accompanied her.

Tenten noticed their spirits lift just a little, and within the hour they would have fifteen finalists ready for the final round of the exam.

Ki'Yu had made it past the second round, Tenten had made sure to stick it out to show support to her brother. After the match she could tell how fatigued he was, and offered to take him out to lunch.

" You didn't tell me there would be a second part right after the first.."

Ki'Yu had his head down on the table they were supposed to be eating at. He still had his blood stained cloths on, which also had a thin layer of dirt over that. His hair was a mess and he smelled like he hadn't showered in a week.

" You know that isn't allowed."

Tenten patrionized him with a wide, satisfied smile, but the moment their food arrived, his mood picked up.

" So you only have a few days to train, take the rest of the night off and tomorrow we can start training. "

" Is that allowed? "

Ki'Yu's words were scrambled in between his chewing and swallowing, but Tenten understood him fine.

" Maybe Neji can help."

Tenten paused and waited for his response.

Neji was a prominent figure in the village, he'd achieved a Jonin status very early and was one of the most skilled in Konoha.

Ki'Yu had asked her numerous times if Neji would train him, but she always said no.

" Really? "

" He has other things he needs to do while he'd here, but I'm sure one of the days leading up to the festival he'd love to. "

Ki'Yu's entire demeanor changed, and his mood lightened. He ate another bowl of ramen and some BBQ'd pork and started to tell her some of the stuff that had happened while in the forest, and by the time they were done it was almost seven at night.

" Ino's going to be at the Hospital tonight, if you need-"

" I told you I'm fine, I'm just really tired.."

Before she could properly say goodbye he was almost gone.

" Thank you for everything! "

Tenten listened to his voice fade into the evening sun, she waved to him goodbye as she prepared to turn in herself.

She was walking home when she remembered something she had forgot.

" Neji.."

She was supposed to find him after the exams, but she had gotten distracted with making sure Ki'Yu was okay.

She continued home and quickly showered and changed before leaving again, she wasn't sure if he was at the hospital or not, but she knew she needed to find him.

She needed to tell him how she felt before she lost the nerve.

The ended up at an empty room, and a nurse informed her that she had missed him by a few hours.

" We already sent him home hunny.."

One of the nurses padded her on the back after seeing how distraught Tenten looked. She was mostly just upset with herself for not thinking of him sooner.

Ever since the kiss had happened, her head had been in the clouds. She'd been volunteered for missions she wouldn't have taken in a million years, she had jumped from a bird, hundreds of feet in the sky to seal some air away, she nearly kissed a stranger, and now recently, she was beginning to lose her mind.

She was ready for things to become more normal again, and clearing things up with Neji was the only way.

The sun had set by the time she was close to finding him. She had run into Shino, and he said that Neji had gotten some help from Ino, and was well enough to leave the Hospital. He was on his way to find the Emperors daughter and make sure she was okay.

Tenten's heart sank as she pushed through the hundreds of people that had flooded the village. The actual festival wasn't for four days, but there were still dozens of shops open, games for children and couples and numerous clothing and gift shops also open. With the finalists finally chosen for the last jump of the exams, more people had come to experience the excitement of the village and reserve their spot to see the matches.

Finally she stopped, defeated.

There were just too many people. The lights from the excitement were so bright they were blocking out the stars above, and Tenten was getting a headache from the noise.

She was getting ready to leave the area when she finally found him.

He was with the Claire girl, and she seemed beyond excited to have him all to herself.

She watched them for a minute, not sure what to do.

Claire's hands had gotten comfortable with touching Neji's face and neck, and the more she touched him, the more Tenten could feel her blood pressure rise.

Every push, and every pull that she did against him made her normally tame demeanor shift. She didn't want her touching him anymore.

She watched from across the crowd, as Clair grabbed Neji and pulled him down to her level, putting her cheeks against his and giggling loudly.

She couldn't take anymore.

Tenten stayed still, but she did bring up her arm, and wave over at him.

Neji was quick to notice, and after just a few moments, he excused himself from Claire and began to work his way through the crowd.

" Sorry I missed dinner! "

Tenten yelled over the noise of the crowd, and her voice was nearly lost.

" It's fine!"

Neji yelled over the crowd as well, and Tenten could barely hear him.

The crowd had grown thicker with the excitement of the night, and Tenten lost him in the sea of faces.

He seemed to come out of nowhere, and when he grabbed her hand, Tenten was startled.

She didn't say anything or try to stop him, and when he pulled at her, she moved.

The crowd thinned out towards the edge of the village, and Tenten could feel her headache ease the further they got from people.

She wasn't sure where they were going, but she didn't hesitate to follow him. The longer he held her hand, the more she could feel herself wanting to be with him alone.

She felt selfish.

She didn't want him being around anyone else, or sharing his attention with them. She wanted him to herself, at least for a while.

The heavy heat from the end of the summer had finally dissipated. Ahead of them were cool autumn days and crisp starry nights.

By the time they stopped, they were almost completely out of the village. The edge of the village was less than a mile away, and Tenten was happy to realize the lights from the commotion were far enough away that she could see the night sky.

They were both silent for a moment, before Neji turned around to her, not letting go of her hand.

She was taken aback to see his face as flushed and uncomfortable as it was. She couldn't help but grin from ear to see him so emotional, almost always it had been her to get flustered.

Seeing her amusement didn't make him more comfortable and Neji had to look away to ease his anxiety.

Tenten took a deep breath, and felt her heart leap out of her chest, as she let go of his hand and grabbed onto his shirt.

Neji seemed startled, but the moment Tenten pulled him down, and stepped up onto the tips of her toes, his nervousness seemed to fade away.

She paused just a few inches from his face, her lips parting slightly as she closed her eyes.

Neji didn't hesitate to close the gap, and the moment his lips touched hers, she could feel her arms slowly scale his body and wrap around his neck.

They only kissed for a few seconds before he pulled away and Tenten opened her eyes suspiciously.

She looked up to see his smiling face just inches from hers, and the moment she opened her eyes he kissed her again, pulling her closer to him as they embraced.

" So you're not mad then.."

Neji pulled his lips away from hers and spoke against her face. His warm breath touching her chilled nose and exposed neck.

" No.."

Tenten tried not to laugh as she spoke, she could tell he was just playing with her.

She briefly kissed him before pulling away and restating his question.

" You're not mad at me? "

Neji didn't answer her, but he did let his lips graze against hers for a moment before finally kissing her.

She would take that as a 'no'.

A set of unscheduled fireworks went off and surprised both of them, and without hesitation, both of them looked and found a small, grassy hill to sit on and watch.

The fireworks display was irregularly performed, and Tenten was almost positive it was some pranksters.

But no matter the circumstances she was going to enjoy them.

Tenten let her head rest against his shoulder, as the two of them watched the fire works in silence.

" I'm sorry I acted like that, after everything that happened.."

Tenten spoke quietly to herself and Neji, and he turned his head, placing his lips on her forehead.

" Don't be."

She could feel her body begin to relax, and a tightness that she'd held onto all of this time from feeling guilty, began to wither away.

Eventually they're posture slipped and they ended up laying together on the hill.

Tenten rested her head against Neji's shoulder, and could feel herself relax into him as he let his cheek rest against her forehead.

" I love you.."

Neji's words seemed a little horse, as if he was nervous to say them. But Tenten brought up a cold hand and rested it against his warm chest, pulling him closer to her.

" I love you too, Neji.."


End file.
